The Present Day Pop-Rocker Refuses to Die

Attentive readers may recall that last year I waxed enthusiastic about the debut album by the charmingly monikered indie band The John Sally Ride, featuring friend of PowerPop (and proprietor of the invaluable Burning Wood blog Sal Nunziato on drums.

Here's what I said about the CD at the time.

The short version:

The whole album is pretty much the most delightful surprise I've had so far this year.

And now comes their sophomore effort Nothing Doing...

...and in many ways it's an even better pop-rock confection -- more assured, sonically sleeker, and just terrific on every level.

And if you doubt me, dig this video for one of the best tracks on the record.



There's a digital version of the album up at Amazon, and if it isn't at Bandcamp, Spotify, et al, right now, it will be momentarily. In any case, get over to Amazon and stream it or download it toot sweet.

Sal also informs me that there will be a vinyl release sooner rather than later, and possibly a CD, but in the meantime -- what are you waiting for?

Oh, and have I mentioned -- Happy New Year everybody! This blog is a labor of love, and obviously I love you all more than food!!!

We're All Spartacus, But Some of Us Are More Spartacus Than Others

From 1960, please enjoy the greatest movie title sequence of all time. Spartacus.

Music by the brilliant Alex North, visuals by the equally great Saul Bass.



Incidentally, North's score for the entire movie is equally brilliant, particularly in the fight scene between Kirk Douglas and Woody Strode, which is practically a concerto for gladiators and orchestra. In any case, I'm posting that sequence for a variety of reasons, starting with the fact that my 13 year old self was totally blown away by this when I saw it on a big screen in six-track stereo in New York City back in the day; I still consider it the greatest mating of kinetic art and music in history (I had the soundtrack album and probably played it more than any LP I had until the arrival of The Beatles). The other reasons I'm posting it mostly involve a certain moron and anti-Semite I occasionally make fun of on-line, but I won't bore you with the details of that.

In any event, some absolutely fabulous music that is far more relevant to the mission statement of this here blog will be up on Monday.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

Conservatives Make Lousy Rock Critics (An Occasional Series)

Case in point: smarmy and inexplicably employed New York Times Op-Ed weasel Bret Stephens...

...has come out in favor of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti as the greatest album ever.

Okay, I'm exaggerating Stephens' enthusiasm for PG, but my point remains. I mean, jeez, will we next have to endure Ross Douthat's thoughts on Madonna?

Surf's Up!

From 1973, please enjoy The Beach Boys and the instrumental track -- with some acapella group vocals at the end -- of their fabulous "Sail On, Sailor."

Just spine-tinglingly beautiful; I should also note that I had never heard this particular version until friend of PowerPop Capt. Al played it on his (400th) intertube radio show yesterday.

I should also add that I'd forgotten that Tandyn Almer had a co-write on this. Almer is perhaps best known for having penned "Along Comes Mary" for The Association, which would be credit enough for a lifetime for most mere mortals, but he also had a hand in "Marcella," the other truly transplendent Beach Boys song of the early 70s.

Old Capt. Al is For Real

Okay, it's Christmas.

But more important, friend of PowerPop Capt. Al is doing his 400th edition of Lost at Sea -- his award-winning intertube radio show -- today.

That's the 4000th in dog years, by the way.

In any event, it airs at Area 24 Radio...

...starting at 11am East Coast time and going till whenever.

You can hear it by clicking on the Listen Live! link OVER HERE.

I should add that the Captain informs me that he'll be playing lots of wild and wacky rare stuff on this special anniversary show, including music that yours truly has been involved in over the years.

Speaking of which, my old high school garage band chums The Weasels did the Lost at Sea theme song. It's a sea shanty, obviously, and no, I'm not playing on it, alas, but you'll hear it at the end of the show.

In any case -- congratulations, Captain, and here's to 400 more!!!

Oh Crap -- Simels is Starting to Post Christmas Songs: Special Smashing the Sound Barrier Edition

From some time in the '80s, please enjoy the incomparable Rudolf's Nightmare and their hilarious and increasingly speed-punk version of "Silent Night."

That indie 45 rpm slab of vinyl was the brainchild of a sometime bandmate of mine from the old days named Lars Hanson, who both produced it and played the way cool guitar stuff. Glen Robert Allen, drummer for The Floor Models and my musical director for the last 50 years, is the dude pounding the pagan skins.

If memory serves, Dr. Demento actually aired that a couple of times on his show. And if he didn't, he should have.

Oh Crap -- Simels is Starting to Post Christmas Songs: The Golden Age of Television Edition

From CBS TV -- originally broadcast live in 1956, but here recorded in the studio -- please enjoy Basil Rathbone (what a singer!) and "Mankind Should Be My Business," one of the big numbers from The Stingiest Man in Town.

Which I believe is the first ever musical adaption of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.



I should add that the show was remade as a Rankin/Bass animated special in 1978, which is interesting if you're an insane Walter Matthau completist (he sings the part of Scrooge at least as well as Rathbone, for what it's worth).



I was nine years old when the live version first aired, and I remember it made a humongous impression on me. The ghosts were particularly scary, albeit not as much as Rathbone's atonal groaning in the songs. I also had the soundtrack LP, because an uncle of mine worked for Columbia Records at the time, and for some reason I played it obsessively for years.

I believe Amazon has a CD version of the soundtrack LP of the original; the complete live version and the cartoon are similarly available on YouTube last time I looked.

Oh Crap -- Simels is Starting to Post Christmas Songs: Part Deux

From 2016, please enjoy power pop wiseacres The Dollyrots and their fabulously punked out update of "All I Want for Christmas is You."



I am chastened to admit that I had never heard the Mariah Carey original of this -- which dates from 1994, and which has a delightfully Phil Spector Christmas Album vibe to it -- until two weeks ago. Hey, I slept through the 90s, what can I tell you.

In any case, this cover version impinged on my consciousness a few days ago when I heard it on a certain intertube radio station which also plays The Floor Models.

In the meantime, you can find out more about these delightful kids and their music over HERE.

Oh Crap -- Simels is Starting to Post Christmas Songs

Okay, but I have a good reason for posting this one, apart from the fact that it's fabulous.



The pertinent info:

The song was released as promo only 7″ and 12″ double-A sided single in December 1981 to promote the charity album, “In Harmony 2” which was released at the same time. This recording was of a live performance from December 12, 1975 at C.W. Post College in Greenvale, NY.

It should be noted here that C.W. Post is my old school, and that I was in attendance at this performance along with fellow Postie and friend of PowerPop Kerrin L. Griffith.

Less up-lifting Christmas fare continues for the next several days.

Boom!

So as I mentioned yesterday, a certain Shady Dame and I were lucky enough to secure tickets to see Bryan Cranston in the Broadway version of Network...

...and the short version is that Cranston was absolutely brilliant and the adaptation works like gangbusters as a stage play.

But for me, the really big news is that they played this track by The Sonics as exit music.



I'm not hundred percent sure if it was the above version or a remake by somebody else -- I actually found a web page that has like about 30 covers of the thing by all sorts of other bands, but I'm still confused. In any case, it was a blast to hear the thing really loud over the Belasco Theater sound system, and kudos to whoever was involved with the production who came up with the idea to do it.